Bollywood star full of praise for 'amazing' Dubai

Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan believes that Dubai has emerged as a cultural hub and he hailed the city as "amazing".In an interview with City Times, Mr Bachchan said he has admiration for the vision of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai.It is easy to forget that Dubai was just a small Gulf town just a few decades ago and its transformation into one of the most vibrant cities on the planet has been remarkable.Mr Bachchan believes the emirate has managed to mix old and new seamlessly."This cultural shift is truly remarkable. Earlier one wouldn't quite associate the emirate with literary events and festivals. Now Dubai has become the most happening address on the cultural firmament," he told the news provider."It has upscale infrastructure and a very exciting verve to it. Dubai is a lively cosmopolitan city."You only have to look at the plethora of ultra-modern skyscrapers that have sprung up across Dubai to see why it is seen as a pioneering city.With record-breaking buildings such as the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Mall, it is easy to understand why other parts of the world use the emirate as a blueprint for how to build a vibrant metropolis.Dubai is within easy reach of India, which perhaps explains why it is so popular among the Bollywood fraternity.Earlier this year, Emirates 24/7 reported that another popular actor - Salman Khan - was considering buying property in the area.His brother Sohail told the news provider that the pair had been looking for a new home in the UAE, as it is a "beautiful and safe country".The fact that Dubai is just two and a half hours from Mumbai also made the city a very attractive place to live, he suggested.A multitude of exciting new developments are springing up all the time, so people who are planning to relocate to the Middle East will have no shortage of choice when they browse the property market.